State auditors are gearing up to comb through the books of the Kiona‑Benton City School District after voters rejected two replacement levies, according to district officials. Leaders warn the roughly 3.5 million dollar shortfall, once this year’s cuts and next year’s proposed reductions are added together, will ripple through classrooms, athletics and everyday operations.
The district has already carved about 1.5 million dollars out of the current school‑year budget and is proposing roughly 2 million dollars more in reductions for 2026‑27, creating the 3.5 million dollar gap that triggered the state review, according to KEPR Action News. KEPR reports the state will begin auditing district finances as those cuts move ahead.
Superintendent Pete Peterson told NonStop Local the district has already eliminated eight staff positions and scaled back transportation for athletics and some field trips, and that more open jobs could simply remain vacant. Peterson warned class sizes may climb and remaining administrators might be asked to juggle extra duties as the district works to balance the budget.
The district’s own levy page lays out many of this year’s specific moves, including cutting one secondary administrator, one high‑school counselor, one elementary counselor, one nurse and three teaching positions; ending extracurricular busing; freezing administrator salaries and curriculum adoptions; and dropping some C‑squad teams. The page also explains that local levy dollars currently help pay for music, counselors, athletics and other programs that state funding does not fully support, according to the Kiona‑Benton City School District.
State Oversight And Binding Conditions
Under Washington rules, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction can step in with heightened oversight or place a district into "binding conditions" if it cannot submit a balanced budget. As OSPI explains, binding conditions set financial benchmarks and bring in additional budget support from Educational Service Districts, and failure to meet those benchmarks can lead to stronger intervention.
What’s Next For Voters And The Board
The next chance to ask local voters for a replacement levy comes this November, but the school board still has to decide whether to put it on the ballot as election costs rise and community debate continues, KEPR Action News reported. District leaders say the board will keep working through budget options over the summer before making that call.
Enrollment has dropped by about 150 students over the past four years, which has reduced state apportionment and increased reliance on local levy money, NonStop Local reported. Officials told the outlet they expect to stabilize the district’s finances within a couple of years if cuts and local decisions are managed carefully.
Parents and teachers say they plan to keep a close eye on upcoming board meetings and any formal findings from state auditors, and district officials say they will post updates as the audit and budget work continue. Agendas this summer are expected to spell out the choices in front of the board, along with any proposed restorations or additional cuts.
